Loyalty
by LeoInuyuka
Summary: Never underestimate the strength of a Hufflepuff's devotion. OC.


Loyalty 1 – to be proper

* * *

When Isabela Shafiq boarded the Hogwarts Express for the first time, on the first of September, at exactly 10:37 o'clock, she stepped into an unfamiliar world. Not a world unfamiliar due to its magic because her childhood had been shaped by her parents' magic. But it was an unfamiliar world where her mother, witch though she may be, would not be there to magic away her scratches and tears, and where her father, wizard as well, would not be around to defend her from any potential dangers. An unfamiliar world where she was completely and irrevocably alone.

While these facts did drive Miss Isabela Shafiq to tears – she promptly hid in the onboard bathroom for four minutes, furiously blowing her nose and religiously rubbing eyes red – she accepted this separation (or at least, she told herself that she did) and continued along the train (the time was then 10:44 o'clock as she did have to settle her luggage and wait the line for the restroom).

The soon-to-be witch-in-training peeked in compartment by compartment, eventually occupying a quiet, empty booth by herself, settling down with a book – _Bestiarium Magicum._ She had only been permitted to bring a dozen additional books with her to school and by her father's tales of the dangers of Hogwarts and its surrounding forest, Isa placed a priority on books concerning magical creatures.

Her father had warned her to look out for the spiders – "gigantic spiders, never seen anything like it in my life!" – with a teasing wink, but as her mother's face darkened, as if haunted by a past memory, Isa had near fainted.

Thinking about her parents and the distance that lied between parent and child, brought tears to Isa's eyes, which she furiously shook away, diverting her attention to the scenery that hurried past her compartment window.

The train had long since pulled away from King's Cross, somewhere between Isa's thoughts of books and spiders, though she hadn't particularly minded. She had bid her parents a (tearful) farewell and boarded fine. There was no need for additional sentimentality.

(…or at least, that is what she told herself as she wiped snot onto the fabric of her sleeve.)

Just as she reopened her book, skipping right to the page on Acromantula, the door of the compartment opened slightly. Isa startled, dropping the book and hopping out of her seat as if burned by the seat.

The door opened the rest of the way, revealing a thin blonde girl standing plainly in the center of the doorway, who smiled at Isa prettily. "Hello, would you mind terribly if I sat with you?"

Isa blinked, having expected something else – though she was not necessarily sure what she had expected. A vampire perhaps – the details of which could be found on page two-hundred and fifty-four of _Bestiarium Magicum_ , the section right before the Acromantula. "Oh, um, no. I mean that I don't mind terribly. Not that I mind at all, I don't mind at all, it's, um, no… inconvenience…." Isa mentally punched herself in the face.

The pretty blonde girl beamed back – though it seemed quite artificial, even to Isa, who was not quite experienced in lie detection. "Ah, thank you for this. My name is Daphne from the House of Greengrass." She crossed the compartment, carrying a small bag with her and sat opposite from Isa. "This is my first year."

Isa bent to pick up her book, processing the information as she did. Daphne from the House of Greengrass. A pureblood family – not of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, even though the whole _Pure Blood Registry_ garbage was just that: garbage. While not traditionally a family obsessed with blood purity and wizard supremacy, the Greengrass Family had a strong association with Slytherin House. While the Slytherin House was not explicitly Dark in its nature, a vast majority of the witches and wizards it produced turned Dark. By the transitive property of equality, the Greengrass Family was a Dark Family… however, the transitive property of equality was also garbage and thus, Isa outstretched a hand, and thus, outstretched an offering of peace.

"Nice to meet you, Daphne. I'm Isabela Shafiq, also a first year. But you can call me Isa since we will be yearmates!" Isa beamed at the opposing girl, who merely blinked in retaliation.

Daphne hesitated for a moment before politely accepting the handshake, goosebumps crawling across her skin as her cold, pale hand met with Isa's warm one. "You are from the Ancient and Noble House of Shafiq? I am surprised that I have not seen you at any of the… get-togethers that my mother is so fond of."

Isa managed to hide her awkwardness at the question and slight accusation. The Ancient and Noble House of Shafiq as Daphne had called it… a Family known for its pureblood status and strong affiliations with the house of Ravenclaw. An intelligent Family, usually neutral in its political stance, yet had maintained a seat in the Wizengamot since its conception. Despite its proclaimed neutrality, the Shafiq Family had typically attended public events, such as pureblood gatherings and social events. At her age, Isa would have been expected to have attended dozens. Yet she had never been to a single one.

"I'm kinda shy…" Isa scratched the back of her neck, smiling faintly. "I begged out of the gatherings and it looks like my mother is not as fond of them as your mother must be… she never forced me to go."

Daphne's eyes narrowed and silence fell over the compartment.

At this point, Isa wished that she had never grant permission for the Greengrass heiress to enter the compartment. 'Pureblood banter' is what her mother had called it, polite talk between socialites to obtain information. Nearly every word out of Isa's mouth had been a lie and it appeared that the opposite girl had picked up on it, judging by the accusing glare.

Isa cringed mentally, inwardly calling out for her mother to save her… she felt the telltale stinging of her eyes revealing that she was about to burst into tears when Isa blinked them away and quickly changed the subject away from her childhood away from wizarding society. "Anyways, where are you hoping to go?"

"I beg your pardon?" the hum of the train lingered in the background.

"Like what house? I am hoping for Gryffindor, though I bet I will be in Ravenclaw." Daphne nodded as though having expected this. "My mom was a Gryffindor though and I hope to be as brave as she was."

Daphne smiled as if to console Isabela, but it was more of a smirk than a kind expression. "I anticipate Slytherin for myself, no more, no less. Of course there is nothing 'more' than it, so to say. Gryffindor is a bit too… much for me." She blinked rapidly as if it would dilute the backhanded insults she was delivering. "I'm not interested in people who think with their hearts ahead of their minds."

"I hope I think with both!" Isa was desperately trying to save this conversation, trying to save the possibility of befriending this strange Daphne Greengrass, who had already blatantly questioned her childhood solitude as well as desired personality traits. "After all, if Gryffindors think with their hearts and Ravenclaws think with their minds, I will have inherited the both from my parents!"

"Don't be silly, Miss Shafiq, you can only be in one house, not both." The blonde girl sniffed. "For your sake and your Family's sake, I do hope it is Ravenclaw… the further away from the ruffians you can be, the better."

"Oh, please call me Isa, Miss Greengrass." Isa's bright beam could melt ice. Two could play this game.

"Then please call me Daphne." Daphne's returning smile could freeze hell over. Isa inwardly cringed yet again. Daphne may be a _little_ bit better at this game.

For the second time, the compartment door opened, startling Isa.

(In the back of her mind, she noticed that Daphne looked unbaffled by the sudden sound, something that irritated her to a minor extent)

A pale girl with dark stringy hair was standing in the doorway, surveying the occupants of the compartment in a moment. "Greengrass… I confess that I didn't expect to see you here."

The air seemed to instantly become tense, energy filling the air. Isa made a haphazard glance to Daphne, only to shudder when she did. For the first time since Isa had boarded the train, despite all of her fears and concerns, she became scared. Daphne's fists were tightly clenched around the fabric of her clothes and her teeth were grinding together, blue eyes glinting as if they had been carved of ice.

"Miss Parkinson." The blonde spoke evenly, as if she wasn't mentally stabbing this 'Parkinson' girl. "It is… nice… to see you again. But it should come to you as no surprise that I am here… after all, we cannot forget that little bit of accidental magic from our last meeting?"

Parkinson snarled, breaking etiquette for a moment. However, she quickly regained control of herself, turning to Isa with a kind-looking face. "And who might this be?"

Isa swallowed as Daphne's bright blue steel eyes directed to her fiercely. "I'm Isabela Shafiq." She pointedly did not offer use of her nickname.

Parkinson's expression brightened, outstretching a slim and fair hand. "A Shafiq? My name is Pansy Parkinson, but feel free to call me Pansy. It's a pleasure to meet a fellow pureblood." She sucked the inside of her cheek. "At least, a fellow pureblood from the Sacred Twenty-Eight."

Well. This was awkward.

Daphne, who a mere moment ago had been full of ferocity and pride, recoiled from the implied accusation – Isa _really_ hated pureblood banter – and flickered her eyes towards her companion.

And even though Isa was praying for her mother and father to save her, after seeing the silent plea for rescue, the Shafiq heiress made her decision in a heartbeat.

"Nice to meet you too, Miss Parkinson. Would you like to join Daphne and I?" Isa pointedly ignored the aforementioned hand and was careful to call Pansy by her surname, only further establishing the distance between the two girls. Isa surpressed a grin as shock overtook Pansy's face, her pleasant expression quickly flipping to foul.

Isa had called the Greengrass girl by her first name while ignoring the much more powerful Parkinson heiress. Choosing her associations carefully, allying herself with a weaker, though ever more refined witch and family. Isa's heart thudded. She could practically feel her mother's proud smile.

Pansy swallowed hard, clearly not having expected a failure on the part of befriending the Shafiq heiress and shaming the Greengrass Family. Nonetheless, she chose her next words carefully. "I actually already have a compartment, Shafiq, but thank you for your offer. I will be going now. See you around." Though her words were polite, her tone was acidic.

Isa smiled politely, not saying another word as the compartment door shut, instead directing her gaze towards the book that sat in her hands.

" _Bestiarium Magicum_?" Daphne broke the silence, carefully enunciating the title of Isa's book. "Not exactly light reading, now is it?"

"I'm kinda terrified of Acromantula so I hope that if I understand more about them, I'll feel a little bit better." Isa laughed nervously, not sure on where they stood. Isa and Daphne had started off on an awkward footing – Daphne had been suspicious of a sheltered Shafiq while Isa, uncomfortable and shy, had become quickly defensive. Yet, they had somehow bonded over the nasty Parkinson's blatant prejudice and superiority complex.

However, Daphne seemed to relax, her iron-rod posture shifting slightly, and she crossed her legs, opening her own bag and began to search through her belongings. Isa twitched at how the girl had maintained an air of elegance through it all. "Would you like any Bandoffee tart? My mother bought a few slices from Fortescue's before we left Diagon Alley yesterday and cast a cooling charm on it to preserve it. It is my favorite and I was careful to not knock it over during the ride."

Isa marked her page, bending the corner of the book and set it aside. "Bandoffee tart? Never had it."

"You will love it, it's this dessert pie with banana, sweet cream and toffee. My mother tried making it once but made an absolute mess of the oven that even the House Elves couldn't clean."

The sound of their laughter and conversation drowned out the dreary drones of the train, the wisps of a strong friendship forming in the face of childish prejudice.

* * *

The girls changed into their dark Hogwarts robes, long since having been proclaimed friends – no longer facing the same awkward uncertainty that all girls face upon meeting each other.

(Isa realized she forgot her cauldron – and began tearing up – though was saved as Daphne reminded her that she did in fact, have an owl and could simply ask her mother to send it to her. Despite her luck, Isa nonetheless burst into tears, desperately missing her mother and father, while Daphne merely sat across from her and watched, eating a slice of Bandoffee tart as if it was one of those Muggle soaps.)

(Isa's crying merely got worse when she realized that in order to send out her owl, she would have to throw the little tawny owl – named Gawain, she informed Daphne, between sobs – out of the window to reach her mother. In the end, Daphne opened the window and threw the damned bird out, to Isa's anguish.)

Departing the train, Daphne listed off students as she passed them. "That's Millicent Bulstrode, pure-blood, our year. My mother arranged a playdate with her and Parkinson – yes, the girl you met earlier – and it went quite poorly. Bulstrode is rather… brutish, if you can imagine. Her ruffian attitude deserves to earn her a spot in Gryffindor, though I suppose she will beg her way into Slytherin, to maintain her own status. That boy there is Draco Malfoy, also pure-blood, also our year. He has no problem earning his way to Slytherin, with his family's history. His mother, Narcissa, was originally a Black, but married into the Malfoys – his maternal aunt is in Azkaban, though, caught with the Death Eaters. His whole family is Dark and he's likely to end up with them as well."

Isa's head spun. "How do you know all of these people?"

Daphne puffed up like a proud peacock – or like Gawain, Isa supposed, before she threw him out the bloody window – and tossed her blond hair over her shoulder. "We Greengrasses may not be a part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, but you high-society folk would be smart to not exclude us."

As the two girls joined the crowd, herded away by a giant bearded man, Isa bumped into a scrawny boy with messy dark hair and green eyes, knocking his glasses off. "Oh, um, sorry-" the boy spluttered out, crouching and patting the ground, searching for his spectacles.

Isa flinched. "No, no, it was all my fault, not yours!" she knelt beside him, grabbing his glasses from in front of him. "Sorry about that. I'm not really, uh, used to being around other people."

"It's fine-"

Isa wasn't listening. "Even when I lived at home with my mother and father, I wasn't even that good at paying attention to what was happening around me, I knocked down at least one vase a day – but Ma always fixed it with her wand which was okay – but I am also really forgetful too, like I forgot my cauldron for my Potions class and Daphne told me on the train that it was going to be a really hard class and I am already messing up and I had to send an owl to my mom and Daphne _threw Gawain out of the window!_ And I miss being at home and Ma." She took a breath, only to see the boy inching away.

"Umm…"

Before Isa was about to splutter out a series of apologies, Daphne cut in, slapping a cold hand over Isa's mouth, effectively stopping the stream of awkwardness. "My apologies for your glasses and also for my friend's mouth. It was nice to meet you and I hope to see you around the castle!"

Daphne dragged away the other girl, as the dark haired boy confusedly joined a red-haired boy and melted into the crowd of black robes, pushing Isa towards a small wooden boat on the shore. "Isa, I didn't even leave you alone yet you still managed to get in trouble."

"I'm sorry," Isa said, somberly. "I'm a magnet for trouble. I bet this year I will receive at least fifty detentions. Do they give detentions at Hogwarts? I read a Muggle book and they mentioned them."

Daphne rolled her eyes, holding the edge of the boat carefully as her fellow witch crept across the boat. "Yes, detentions exist in the wizarding world. Merlin, Isa, you are a pure-blood yet you seem to know nothing about the world! You seemed well-educated in proper pure-blood behavior and conversation earlier during our… confrontation with Parkinson, yet you make Muggle references. You're quite the contradiction."

Isa merely shrugged as her friend crossed the boat to sit next to her. "I was scared to leave my parents when I was younger –"

"Seems like you're still scared…" Daphne muttered under her breath, while Isa blissfully ignored.

"- and so I did a lot of reading, so I know a lot about a lot of different random things."

With that, the two girls fell into a companionable silence as they looked out over the lake. The two girls had been so distracted by one another that they had barely observed their surroundings. The students could see nothing but a vast, dark forest (Isa shuddered to imagine what sort of creatures lurked in its depths) and the edge of a seemingly endless black lake. Floating lanterns had illuminated the way to the water's edge, but now, as the boats silently traced an invisible path across the water, the whole world seemed submerged in inky black.

Two other students had joined the girls in a boat – a tall blond girl with eyes so dark that Isa couldn't make out the color and a scrawny boy with mousy hair – but had remained otherwise silent. Isa had attempted to smile at them, but in the darkness of the evening, she guessed that they could not see her. She continued to study the scenery silently, attempting to keep herself occupied and her thoughts far from her longing for her parents.

As the boats rounded a sharp corner where forest met water, Isabela caught her breath, any lingering thoughts of her parents disappearing as she stared upward at the looming castle ahead.

An enormous stone castle materialized up ahead and would have looked cold if not for the cheerful bright lights that twinkled in every window. Several tall towers rose above the figure of the castle, proud and tall, ancient but beautiful architecture creating a view that could only be described as magical. Surrounding by a small forest, around which even greater mountains soared, the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was nestled perfectly into a valley among the peaks.

In the midst of all this wonder, Isabela Shafiq immediately felt extremely small and insignificant.

* * *

Daphne Greengrass's clear blue eyes followed each shift of Isabela Shafiq's expression carefully. The blond pure-blood heiress had been discretely examining the more cheerful pure-blood heiress throughout their short companionship, yet Daphne felt frustrated with the small amount of information she had gleaned from her.

Isabela Shafiq, eleven years old, only child of the Shafiq family, brown eyes, straight black hair (though Isabela had mentioned that she wished it was curly), her wand was made of black walnut wood with a unicorn hair corn, 10" in length, her favorite food was chicken and her favorite creatures were owls – though they had to be _friendly_ owls. She greatly missed her parents – had rarely been separated from them, thus had been sheltered for a majority of her life – and her parents were possible blood-traitors, considering how Isabela had had serious exposure to Muggle literature and ideals (luckily, Daphne did not personally give two shits about blood purity). Isabela was an intellectual with a deep love for books and knowledge, though was frequently overcome with emotions – something Daphne attributed to her lasting childhood dependence on her parents. Isabela wore her expressions clear as day on her face, shifting tones from confusion to wonder in a split second, every thought, every feeling painted across her face, shown through the smile lines of her eyes and the furrowing of her brows.

Despite all of these tells, Isabela still managed to surprise Daphne.

After having a rather tense introduction with one another, the brunette witch had still defended Daphne, a Greengrass, a witch with lower social standing, from Pansy Parkinson, heiress to an extremely powerful family. Isabela had placed her own social status at risk by going toe-to-toe with Parkinson – even though she had lived a sheltered life and barely knew how to socialize in the first place. She had been lucky that Parkinson had tactfully withdrawn or else her reputation in pure-blood society would have been taken a great hit.

Her unexpected bravery and fierce loyalty… Daphne hummed thoughtfully. Perhaps Isa would end up in that house of ruffians after all.


End file.
